- ‘I always said I would put my health at the heart of my decision’
- Andreescu, Barty, Svitolina, Bertens and Bencic already out
When Simona Halep confirmed on Monday she was joining five other top-10 US Open refuseniks, all of them from outside the United States, the tournament organisers could do no more than sigh, reshuffle the women’s draw yet again and hope this was the end of it.
It probably is, given most of the serious contenders have arrived in New York to play in the rescheduled Cincinnati Open, the on-site warm-up event that starts on Thursday. However, in the unlikely event Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka or Coco Gauff were to pull out, the US Open would be in serious personality deficit.
Related: Novak Djokovic to compete in US Open but Bianca Andreescu withdraws
Related: Venus Williams gives hope of more good days in tennis still to come
